PSA - Professional Sports Authenticator Corner and Edge Wear Questions and Answers

Question 1

A PSA NM-MT 8 card appears to be Mint 9 at first glance. Upon closer inspection, which of the following corner imperfections is permissible for the PSA 8 grade?

Accepted Answer

Slightest fraying at one or two corners.

Answer

According to PSA's official grading standards, a PSA NM-MT 8 card can exhibit the 'slightest fraying at one or two corners' upon close inspection, distinguishing it from a PSA 9 or 10.

Question 2

A collector submits a modern card with a dark border. The card has a flawless surface and perfect centering, but two corners show minute white specks, often referred to as 'whitening.' How would this specific type of corner wear likely impact the final grade?

Accepted Answer

It would likely prevent the card from achieving a Gem Mint 10 grade, capping it at a PSA 9 or lower.

Answer

For a card to receive a PSA Gem Mint 10, it must have four perfectly sharp corners. Even the tiniest bit of whitening on a corner, which is a common form of wear, can prevent a card from getting a perfect grade, typically resulting in a PSA 9 or lower. This is especially noticeable on cards with dark borders.

Question 3

Which of the following descriptions of edge wear would most likely correspond to a card graded PSA EX 5?

Accepted Answer

Minor chipping may be visible on the edges.

Answer

The grading standard for a PSA EX 5 allows for more visible wear than higher grades. Specifically, the standard states that on PSA 5 cards, 'minor chipping on edges' may be present.

Question 4

A grader is evaluating a vintage card and notes that the corners are 'slightly rounded.' The rest of the card has modest surface wear and is centered 85/15. Which PSA grade is the most likely for this card based on the corner description?

Accepted Answer

PSA 4 VG-EX

Answer

The official PSA grading standard for a VG-EX 4 explicitly states that the card's corners 'may be slightly rounded.' The other characteristics mentioned, such as modest surface wear and 85/15 centering, also align perfectly with the criteria for this grade.

Question 5

What is the primary difference in corner standards between a PSA 10 GEM MINT card and a PSA 9 MINT card?

Accepted Answer

A PSA 10 must have four perfectly sharp corners, while a PSA 9 may have a very minor imperfection on close inspection.

Answer

A PSA 10 Gem Mint card is a virtually perfect card, and one of its key attributes is having four perfectly sharp corners. A PSA 9 Mint card is a superb condition card that can exhibit one minor flaw, which could be a very slight imperfection on a corner that prevents it from being a '10', but it would not be described as rounded.

PSA - Professional Sports Authenticator Practice Test

PSA - Professional Sports Authenticator Practice Test

PSA - Professional Sports Authenticator Corner and Edge Wear Questions and Answers